Friday, 6 May 2011

Norwegian foreign minister to meet Museveni, Opposition over demos

Nowergian minister for international development Eric Solheim will be in Kampala on Tuesday for talks with President Museveni over the brutality meted out to Opposition demonstrators during the walk-to-work campaign.
Sources in Norway say that images showing the government brutality have sent shock waves to the Scandinavian country that cherishes democracy and human rights.
Mr Solheim who will first visit Sudan and Burundi before jetting into Kampala told the Norwegians back home last week that their Ambassador to Kampala had told President Yoweri Museveni that it was unacceptable to treat walk-to -work demonstrators the way the Police and soldiers did.
Opposition FDC President Dr Kizza Besigye who is now nursing injuries in a Nairobi hospital was brutalised, his car smashed and scores of people including a two year child killed in cold blood.
Ugandans are protesting the government inaction in the wake of the rising inflation. The protests are also a culmination of unabted theft of public resources that has left social infrastructure nonfunctional.
According to my Norwegian sources, "during the meeting, Solheim will discuss [the unrest] with President Museveni, Opposition leaders and later meet the media."
Although the Norwegian government has not yet considered sanctions against the NRM regime, sources say increased abuse of human rights could force a discussion to that direction in the near future.
Norway is trying to get involved in Uganda's oil industry and that could delay their harsh decisions on the Kampala regime.
It also funds the environment sector in the country besides giving advise on how to build an oil industry.
Norwegians are world example in using oil for the benefit of the citizens through transparency and accountabliity of every dollar got from oil sale.
Recently, a Norwegian diplomat was among those that visited Dr Besigye in jail in Nakasongola raising alot of noise from the government that the diplomats had not sought clearance from the Foreign affairs ministry. They threatened action but appear to have realised that they are powerless to confront the diplomats yet images clearly showed the regime's shamelessness.
Apparently, the diplomats wrote back home exposing the brutality of the Museveni led regime.